 |
| Multiple projects can be frustrating |
It is sometimes thought the more baskets you lay your eggs in the better the chances one of those baskets won't be dropped.
Many bloggers will advise that a person only try to handle one project. Of course you can find other advice that says one should try to diversify their projects and should try to cover multiple avenues.
These opinions can be found with blogging, writing novels, painting, sculpting, photography, web design and most other independent hobbies or careers.
If you have decided that multiple projects fits your life better it may prove to be difficult, but it can be just as rewarding. If you can organize your projects, dedicate yourself to your goals and stick to your plans you may start to see why some people support this work method. However, if someone trying to accomplish multiple things at once is not disciplined and structured, the weight and complexity of the tasks could become unmanageable.
Below are some tips to prevent the multiple tasks from becoming too complex, too difficult to allocate sufficient effort too, and/or too difficult to maintain:
- Keep a planner
- Document your labor
- Read motivational material
- Don't try to plow through
- Dress for Success
It might not seem like five things can make you or break you but as a web designer/writer/tech. consultant I have found that a consistent structure is essential to handle to varied work loads. If you don't always meet your goals and expectations then these five key things can drastically help you accomplish your tasks and get your work done. It doesn't matter if you are trying to make your personal life more efficient and less stressful or if you are trying to begin something new.
Keep a Planner
It is important to keep a planner to organize the various future plans of all of your projects. Sometimes it can be good to even have more than one planner. Write down your goals, important events and other things you want to plan for and remember. Then as you do things daily record what you do.
Recording your tasks, project related or not, helps identify what you spend your time on, if anything isn't receiving the proper amount of time (too much or too little), and helps you appreciate how much you accomplished.
Compare what you planned to do and what you actually did and use this data to alter your new future plans and to change anything that isn't working out with your current schedule. If you realize that you are productive in the morning then schedule something that has priority for that time and move less important things to times when you have recorded less productiveness.
Keeping a planner makes a huge difference and I was really hesitant to start, but once I did it helped organize my thoughts, plans, goals, and allowed me to better manage myself by being able to look and see what I accomplished when and how that compared to what I thought I would accomplish.
Document Your Labor
If your project makes money this may be slightly more important but either way it is good to keep tabs on how much time you are spending on each individual project. If one project is producing more revenue per hour of work on it than another project you may want to adjust your priority accordingly. If you have a personal hobby it is beneficial to know how much time and effort you have put into it so as to keep your other activities in congruence with your efforts.
Someone trying to manage multiple projects needs to know their value, profit or not. The time you spend on them alone gives them value to you, so document your labor.
If your hobby turns into a profitable venture then having your labor already documented and organized will give you a big advantage when doing logistics and making projections.
Read Motivational Material
A little self explanatory. If you want to accomplish something, surround yourself with things that will inspire you to do so. Read quotes from people that are related to your individual projects that make you believe you are capable and can carry invaluable tips or advice.
Read things that inspire you to be a better person, a better chef, anything that gives you more get-up-and-go. Something that inspires you is better than nothing that inspires you.
Just be careful not to get overly inspired and increase your work load beyond capacity.
Don't Try to Plow Through
Studies as well as a plethora of anecdotal evidence has shown that most people operate best with 45 minutes of concentration and 15 minutes of a break. Feel free to alter that to fit your personal habits and schedule but the general principle should be kept close to heart.
If you try to focus on a task for much over an hour you will become far less productive and will have to put more energy into maintaining a less effective work flow.
Busy bees can alternate 45 minutes of one project with 15 or 30 minutes of a more relaxed or less stimulating project. If you know that you have projects that don't use much of the same muscles or brain functions (yes I know the brain is a muscle) you should try alternating between them.
Research has also shown that trying to process too much of the same information can decrease efficiency as well. That means that if you are trying to study material then you shouldn't try to process the same information (read, note cards, videos, etc) for more than an hour or two. While this limits how much of something you can tackle in a day, wasting exponential energy on something that will not equivalently benefit you can make your task far more difficult and stressful than actually studying it a little less!
Dress for Success
A cliche, but with reason. If you wake up, get clean and tidy, and put on an outfit that empowers you and helps you feel the way you want to feel you will be taking a gigantic step toward success in whatever your pursuit.
Being clean and getting dressed will make you feel healthy and invigorates/refreshes people. It removes waste from the exterior of our bodies and makes us feel more comfortable and confident.
By showering and dressing nicely first thing you ensure that no matter what happens, on a basic level, you are ready. Clients could show up or be visited, you are already tidy and prepared. A run to the store for supplies is easy when you are already dressed, once their if you run into any important people or events you will be confident due to your hygienic state and comfortable appearance.
Doing this eliminates the stress of being caught off guard from the rest of your day as well as ensures that you accomplished a goal. If you get ready first thing then you can mark that off your to-do list and that will enable and inspire you to accomplish another goal, as well as eliminating possible negativity from other external variables the day before.
(Because everyone is different you might not follow these steps word for word. Like most advice it should be adapted to the individual without losing its primary integrity.)
If you have any anecdotes in accordance to these tips please leave them in the comments and share/like or however you express yourself if these tips have helped you.
If you try to focus on a task for much over an hour you will become far less productive and will have to put more energy into maintaining a less effective work flow.
Busy bees can alternate 45 minutes of one project with 15 or 30 minutes of a more relaxed or less stimulating project. If you know that you have projects that don't use much of the same muscles or brain functions (yes I know the brain is a muscle) you should try alternating between them.
Research has also shown that trying to process too much of the same information can decrease efficiency as well. That means that if you are trying to study material then you shouldn't try to process the same information (read, note cards, videos, etc) for more than an hour or two. While this limits how much of something you can tackle in a day, wasting exponential energy on something that will not equivalently benefit you can make your task far more difficult and stressful than actually studying it a little less!
Dress for Success
A cliche, but with reason. If you wake up, get clean and tidy, and put on an outfit that empowers you and helps you feel the way you want to feel you will be taking a gigantic step toward success in whatever your pursuit.
Being clean and getting dressed will make you feel healthy and invigorates/refreshes people. It removes waste from the exterior of our bodies and makes us feel more comfortable and confident.
By showering and dressing nicely first thing you ensure that no matter what happens, on a basic level, you are ready. Clients could show up or be visited, you are already tidy and prepared. A run to the store for supplies is easy when you are already dressed, once their if you run into any important people or events you will be confident due to your hygienic state and comfortable appearance.
Doing this eliminates the stress of being caught off guard from the rest of your day as well as ensures that you accomplished a goal. If you get ready first thing then you can mark that off your to-do list and that will enable and inspire you to accomplish another goal, as well as eliminating possible negativity from other external variables the day before.
(Because everyone is different you might not follow these steps word for word. Like most advice it should be adapted to the individual without losing its primary integrity.)
If you have any anecdotes in accordance to these tips please leave them in the comments and share/like or however you express yourself if these tips have helped you.
